Incandescent-lamp socket



(No Model.)

H. LBMP. INGANDBSGENT LAMP SOCKET.

Patented Jan.28,1890.

n msm Mmmm. um u4 c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

HERMANN LEMP, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SCHUYLER ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CONNECTICUT.

INCANDESCENT-LAMP SOCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 420,077, dated January 28, 1890. Application filed December 17, 1888. Serial No. 293,851. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: against the in'sulatingbase. Between the Be it known that I, HERMANN LEMP, a citifree ends of these spring-terminals is arranged zen of the United States, residing at Harta quadrangular insulating-shank f, which is ford, in the county of Hartford and State of provided with a metallic key 7a extending Connecticut, have invented certain new and from the socket-piece. The quadraugular 5 5 useful Improvements in Incandescent-Lamp insulating-shank has a conducting piece o1' Sockets, of which the following is such a full, pin i extending through it, protruding upon clear, and exact description as will enable two opposite sides thereof. Vhen the cirany one skilled in the art to which it'appercuiteterininals rest upon the conducting-pin,

io tains to make and use the same, reference the circuit will be completed from one to the 6c being had to the accompanying drawings, other; but when they rest upon the sides of forming part of this specification. the insultating-shankintermediate of the pin,

My invention has for its object the conas shown iu Figs. l and 2, the circuit bestruction of an incandescent electric-lamp tween the two will be broken. This part of socket-piece that is strong,` durable, and not the construction is similar tothe construction 65 liable to strain the parts when the lamp is shown in Patent No. 305,189 above. inserted therein, and also to make a socket My arrangement for holding the lamp to piece in which the lamp can be readily inthe socket-piece and controlling the circuit serted. It is designed as an improvement on by the withdrawal and insertion of the lamp,

2o the socket-pieces shown in Letters PatentNos. however, is different, and constitutes the in- 7o 365,159 and 365,189, both granted June 2l, vention in the present ease. The standard I 1887, to Merle J. Wightman and myself. is cast with a semicircular part o, which is The invention. consists in details of conadapted to receive a corresponding bulbous struct-ion and arrangement hereinafter to be expansion of the.lamp-terminals. Upon the described, the novel features of which will other standard K is fulcrumed or pivoted a 75 be pointed out in the claims appended hereto. movable lever b, which is held against the Figure l is an elevation of my improved standard I, or the lamp-terminals, as the case socket-piece, partly sectioned, showing the may be, by a spiral spring d, the other end of lamp inserted therein; Fig. 2, the same view which is fastened to a lever c, held between o with the lamp removed, showing the parts in the feet of the standard K, where it is ful- 8o their normal position; Fig. 3, a sectional View crumed, and having its other end normally of socket-piece, taken at right angles to the bearing against the standard I, normally section in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4, a plan view of formin ga path for the current from one standthe bottom of the socket-piece. ard to another. The spiral spring d, there- The same letters indicate the same parts fore, actuates both leversb and c. One of the 85 throughout the various igures. leading-in wires is attached to standard I A is the socket-piece, made of, preferably, and the other to standard K, after passing some insulating material, and is provided through the insulating-base C, which insuwithcap-piecesBG,whicharescrew-threaded, lates the standards from one another. The

4 so that they can be fastened together and to lower and free ends of the standards are pro- 9o the socket-piece. Upon a ledge within the vided with semicircular plates D' E, which are socket-pieceA is supported an insulating cirseparated so as to leave a slot between them cular base C, which is held firmly down upon for the lamp to be inserted. (See Figs. l, 2, the same by the cap-piece B, before alluded and 4.) The key is held to the socket by a to. This construction is the saine as set small plate 71, fastened to the outside of socket 95 forth in the patents above referred to. Upon in any suitable manner. Thisplates takes in this insulating-base is mounted two metal a groove inthekey formed between the metal standards I and K, which rest upon the part 7n and acollar on the insulating-bar f. turned-in ends of t-wo circuit-terminal springs In the patents above referred to the stand-y 5o e e at one side, holding the same liu place ards I and K are made in the form of springs Ioo and are not provided with the semicireular plates D and E, so that these springs, which are adapted to carry the current, and also support and hold the lamp in place, are apt to have their elasticity destroyed by an imperfect contact with the lamp-terminals when the same are being inserted or withdrawn, which would cause them to heat up. The strain also, when the lamp is inserted and withdrawn in the formerconstruction, falls upon the insulating-base C and tends to disrupt the same. So, too, in the former construction several trials had to be made before the lamp could bev inserted and the position of the spring-terminals determined. In the present construction these features are overcome. The semicireular plates D and E, .which iit snugly the interior of the socketpiece A, throw any strain that is put upon the standards upon said socket-piece, and the slot between the semicireular plates permits the place the lamp is to be inserted to be readily determined. So, also, the standards I and K are made rigid and the spring action performed by the spiral spring d and the other object-ion above noted obviated.

The lamp-terminals F F are made Hat, and are insulated from each other by a plate of mica or other material. These terminals are expanded into a bulb to take into the curve a of the standard I to hold the lamp in place. One end of the lamp filament is connected to one of these flat terminals and the other end to the remainingterminal, as in previous constructions.

Fig. 2 shows the normal position of the parts, representing the circuit as completed between the standards by the lever l), as well as by the lever c, a little above it. lVhen the lamp isinserted, the circuit is first cut olf between lever l) and standard I. A further insertion of the lamp intercepts the current between lever c and standard I and causes the same to iiow through the lamp terminals and iilament. Then the lamp is withdrawn, the circuit is established between lever @and standard I before it is broken with the lamp, lever b, and standard I, so that sparking, as in the previous patents, is prevented. The lever b holds the lamp in place when inserted, forciugthe bulb in the curve a of standard I.

The above construction is strong and simple.

Having now fully described my invention, I wish to have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction dcscribed, as the same may be varied without departingr from the spirit of my invention.

\Vhat I desire to claim and secure as new by Letters Patent of the United States isl. A standard or member constituting' a contact and a pair of spring-acted levers suitably fulerumed and adapted to make contact with the said standard or member at different points thereof, whereby a contact device may be entered between said standard and levers and the contacts between the latter successively broken in such entry and also successively made between such parts upon withdrawal of said contact device, for the p ur pose set forth.

2. In an incandescentflamp socket-piece, the combination of an insulating-base mounted in the interior of the same, two independent rigid standards I and K, sustained thereby, two movable levers b and c, carried by one of the same and normally completing the circuit between them, with a spring for actuating said levers, substantially as described.

3. In an incandescent-lamp socket-piece, two standards arranged within the socket-- piece and carrying the lamp-supporting devices and provided with flanges, substantially as D E, fitting the interior ofthe socket, with a slot between them for receiving the lampterminals.

4. An incandescent-lamp socket-piece provided with semicireular plates, substantially as D E, covering in the bottom thereof, with a slot between for the reception of the lampterminals, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. An incandescent-lamp socket-piece consisting of two standards mounted in the interior thereof, provided with semicireular plat-es fitting the same, with a slot between them, for the purpose described, two levers, one above the other, swiveled to one of said standards, with a spiral spring between, causing them to normally bear upon the other standard to complete the circuit, the said levers and standards bein g adapted to hold the lamp in place when inserted and govern the circuit.

G. The combination, with a lamp-socket A, having a base-plate C set therein, of the standards I and K, secured by one end to the base C, and provided at the other end with arc-shaped anges D and E, respectively, having their curved edges adapted to fit the interior of the socket and their straightedges adapted to lie a suitable distance apart to form a slot between them for receiving the lamp-terminals and acting to firmly hold the said standards in position, a pair of contactlevers l) c, suitably fulerumed and provided with a spring-such as d-the said levers b c being in electric communication with standard K and adapted to make contact with the standard I at two points thereof, whereby a contact device may be entered between the standard I and the contact-levels l) and c, respecti vely, in succession and withdrawn therefrom, so as to break contact in succession, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this 2d day of September, 1887, in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses.

HERMANN LEMP. [n sl Titnesscsz MERLE J. WIGHTMAN, WM. E. SHEPARD.

IOO 

